Rotary cane-cutter.



WA Af HAMSAY.

ROTARY CANE CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED IUN Il, Ii.

$269961 mmm im. 1s), um

2 SHEETS VSHEET i.

@7. www y @5%46 //SWO' W. A. RAMSAY. ROTARY CANE CUTTER. APPLlcAmoN FILED JUNE a, um,

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f w www 6 L N @u M m n., Y W M lrinrr on WELLAM ARTHUR RAMSAY, Gli HGNOLULU, 'l'H/RIETR'' OF HAWAI.

EITY ANEUTTIER.

application tiled June 8, 1916.

I To all whom t may concern:

ments in Rotary Cane-Cutters, o1 which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in rotary cane cutters such as are used for cut tingl the cane during its transit to the crushing mill into small lengths for the purpose of reducing its bulkiness and thereby facilitating its feed to the mill andthe action of the mill. These cutters usually consist of knives arranged in transverse series, spirally or otherwise and projecting radially from the rotating shaft upon which they are mounted. The rind of the cane upon which the knives act is very hard; and the knives striking the hard rind oi." the crooked or irregularly disposed cane stalks with rapidly succeeding glancing blows are subject to more or less continuous lateral bending stresses, with the result of frequent breakage, the fractures usually occurring1 through the holes for the fastenings by Which the knives are secured in their holders and being more liable to occur as the dullness of the knives, after a period of use, becomes more pronounced. Suchbreakage of the knives not only impairs the action oi the cane cutter but develops' a still greater ldisadvantage in that the broken knives lpas's with the cane into the mills, greatlyV damaging theI rollers and sometimes causing serious accidents.`

The objects of the present invention are to overcome the disadvantages above noted' and to provide a cutter Whose knives Will eiiciently erform their Work yet which Will not be iable to breakage from the causes noted.'

With these objects in view the invention is directed more particularly to the con .=,truetion ofthe knife holders and the means of connection between said holders and the Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Dec. i9, mit.

serial No. 1053,555.

trated inV the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a unit consisting of a knife holder and a pair of knives carried thereby. Fig. 2 is an end elevation, partly in section, of the same. Fig. 3, is a detail plan view of the blank from which the knife carrying jaw is fashioned. Fig. fl is a partial plan view, and Fig. 5 is an end elevation showing the rotary cutter as an entirety. Figs. 6 and 7 are detail sectionalv vien's in planes at right angles to one another showing a slight modiication.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The cutter is made up of a series of units mounted on a common .shaft l, each unit consisting of a knife liolderrand the knife or knives 2 carried thereby. As shown, each knife holder carries two knives and consists of a sleeve 3 keyed on the shaft l and knie carrying jaws 4 connected to said sleeve.

`According to the present invention, thc

knives are mounted to swing` laterally, t'. e.

to either side oi their normal planes, within certain limits, and for this purpose they are y heels terminating short ot the central openingq ofthe bearing 5, as shown in Fig. l.

T he pivotal connection between each jaw 4 and its sleeve 3 consists of a pivot pin,

or bolt 8 which passes through the bearing knives and proposes a construction Whereinw-,sand has its ends fitted in apertured lugs the knives will, as usual, normally occupy-9 projecting from the sleeve 3 and arranged planes at right angles to the axis of rota-jv tion, yet Will be free to'yield in eitherdil rection in consequence of a glancing blow. and in thus yielding will not be subjectrtor 4destructive lateral bendingV stresses.

Embodiinents of the invention. arelillus til) center of said sleeve 'to the longitudinal center of said bearing.

In order to limit the lateral swinging movement of the jaw 4, the sleeve 3 is provided with a stop lug 11 whose opposite sides are adapted to engage stop shoulders 12 formed with the bearing 5 lhese shoulders are y preferably provided as the opposite points of an opening 13 which is punched or stamped at the center of the blank from which the jaw l. is fashioned and which extends through a portion of the circumference of the bearing 5, the lug 1.1 projecting into this opening whose diameter is somewhat greater than the width of the engaging end of the said lug.

In the construction shown in Fig. 1, the shank or heel of the knife is secured in the jaw 4 hy'a plurality of fastenings 7 from which it follows that the knife is held rigid with said jaw against displacement in any direction.

rlhe construction shown in Figs. 6 and 7 is similar to that shown in Fig. 1, except that instead of a plurality of faetenings 7,

a single fastening 7 is provided whose pin or shank forms al pivot about which the knife may be displaced in the direction of its plane. The pin or shank of the fastening 7 is preferably incased in a wear sleeve Tb; and the nuts or heads of said fastening are arranged to cause the ears 6 to exert frictional clampin ressurc on the shank or heel of the kni e 1n order that the knife may not be displaced in the direction of its plane, except upon the application of Strong force. T he specialy advantage of the construction shown in Figs. (j and 7 is that it permits the knife to yield in the direction of its plane in case it encounters an obstruction carried over with the cane, such for example, as a car link or pin. In this way the knife, on striking an obstruction such as suggested, is protected against breakage.

The shaft 1 is driven either directly or by belt gearing from any suitable motor (not shown) and is rotated at from 200 to 600 R, P. M. normal planes at right angles to the aXis of said shaft, and, after yielding laterally, are returned to such planes, by the centrifugal force incident to their rapid rotationas described. When the hard rind of the cane is struck a glancing blow, the knife freely yields laterally in either direction about the pivot of the jaw 4. and hence is not subject to 'any destructive lateral bending stresses which, in the cutters of ordinary construction, frequently produce breakage of the knives.

I claim 1. In a rotary cane cutter, in combination, a shaft, a knife, and a knife holder mounted upon the shaft and having a^pivot from which the knife projects radially of the The knives 'are maintained :in

income shaft as a center and about which the knife may swing laterally.

2. In a rotary cane cutter, in combination, a shaft, a knife, and a knife holder mounted upon the shaft and having a pivot from which the knife projects radially of the shaft as a center and about which the knife .may swing laterally and a second pivot about which the knife may swing in the direction of its plane.

In a rotary cane cutter, in combination, a knife. and a knife holder comprising a sleeve. a knife carrying jaw, and a pivot connection between theljaw and the sleeve arranged to ermit lateral swinging movementof said Jaw and knife.

4. In a rotary cane cutter, in combination, a knife, and a knife holder comprising a sleeve, a knife carrying jaw having a bearing and ears projecting from said vbearin and between which the knife is secured an a pivot pin carried by/l'the, sleeve and projecting through said bearing to permit lateral swinging movement of said jaw and knife.

ln a rotary cane cifltter, in combination, a knife, and a knife holder comprising a sleeve, a knife carrying jaw, a pivotal connection between vthe jaw and the Sleeve arranged to permit lateral swinging movement of said jaw and knife and a pivotal connection between the jaw and the knife arranged to vpermit swinging movement of the knife in the direction of lts plane.

6. In a rotary cane cutter, in combination, a knife, and a knife holder comprising a sleeve, a knife carrying jaw having a bearing and ears vprojecting from said bearing and between which the knife is held for pivotal movement in the direction of its plane and a pivot pin carried by the sleeve and projecting through, said bearing to permit lateral swinging movement of said jaw and knife.

7. In a rotary cane cutter, in combination, a knife, and a knife holder comprising a sleeve, a knife carrying jaw, a pivotal clone nection between the jaw and the sleeve'fhrranged to permit lateral swinging movement of said-.jaw and knife andvco-acting parts on the'. sleeve and jaw for limiting said jaw in its swinging movement.

' 8. ln a rotary cane cutter, in combination, a knife, and a knife holder comprising a sleeve, a knife carrying jaw having aboaring provided with an opening inits outer circumferential face and ears projecting from said bearing and between which the knife is secured, a. pivot pin carried by the sleeve and projecting through said bearin fr' Mtl llt

will

l momie @a projecting radially therefrom-end :rrn'ea'ris I of tlre knife and also swinging movement of connection between sai@ Shaft and each thereof in the direction of its plane and to knife to permit lateral swinging movement cause rotation of the knife with seid shaft. of the knife and to'cause rotation thereof In testimony whereof I have hereunto set with said shaft. v l my hand in presence of two subscribing Wit- 15 10. In a rotary cane butter, in combinanesses.

4 tion, a rotatable shaft, a plurality of knivles ARTHUR RMSAY.

projecting radially therefrom, and a mea ns y 'Witnesses of connection .between said sholft anal' enfhf. P. H. BURNETTE, w -knife to perlmt lateral Ns\ vi11gfir1g movement JAMES NOTE, Jr. 

